Diversity at Work

Generational Differences in the Workplace

To keep good employees, you must meet their needs and expectations, and understand what keeps them inspired. Employees' needs
and expectation vary from one person to the next. They also vary depending on a variety of factors including the generation of the
workers. At this particular moment, there are several different generations - all with different worldviews, expectations and needs -
in our workplaces.

The nonprofit workforce includes many baby boomers who are nearing retirement and this generation will need to be
replaced by younger workers. In the 2003 report Job Quality in Non-Profit Organizations, Kathryn McMullen and Grant Schellenberg
found that only 25% of nonprofit employees
are under the age of 35, compared to 37% in the for-profit sector. Furthermore, post-secondary graduates, a group especially sought after in the
knowledge-based economy, occupy 58% of nonprofit jobs, compared to 44% of for-profit jobs.

Young Employees

Attracting the next generation of nonprofit employees

If organizations want to survive they will have to learn how to attract and keep the next generation of employees. For this reason,
The HR Council held two focus groups with young people to find out what voluntary organizations could learn about recruiting top talent
from this age group. The first session, held in Montreal, included young business students & graduates who had had internships in
non-profits with Community Experiences Initiative. The second group, in Halifax, pulled together
young people working full-time in the sector. Two reports were produced with the specific highlights from each session.

Common highlights from the reports

When asked to describe the most important experience or aspect of their work in a voluntary organization, two common themes
emerged:

Young people valued the opportunity to be connected with the impact of the work that they were involved in. Even if they worked
in an office and didn't have regular contact with outcomes, when they were given a chance to see the impact it often left a lasting
and meaningful impression.

Make sure to create opportunities for young people to
feel this kind of connection to the impact of their work. Organize site visits, or let employees spend a day with front-line staff,
send workers to a meeting with clients/ constituents so they understand the realities of their lives - and any other creative opportunity
you can come up with.

Young people also valued the opportunity to work with a diversity of people, of cultures, ideas, perspectives, backgrounds,
identities etc... They enjoyed the chance to experience human connections across difference in the organizations they worked with.

Work to create organizations that are inclusive and open to diversity. Create an environment that
encourages and promotes difference and healthy opportunities to build meaningful connections across difference. Steer away from prescribing
a certain way of acting or "doing business."

Most challenging experiences

When asked about the not-so-positive aspects of their experiences, two themes emerged which frustrated the participants:

Organizations showed a lack of human resources structure and good people management skills.

Many organizations had a "chaotic" environment with a lack of structure that created confusion and didn't support the
work that needed to get done.

Create clear strategic and operational plans for your work. Make sure to
include human resources planning in this process - make sure you have the right, and enough, human resources to accomplish your goals.
Ensure that each employee has up to date job descriptions
and
ask them to develop work plans. Implement an effective performance management
system
and create regular opportunities for feedback and monitoring.

Characteristics of an ideal job

When the participants were asked to describe the most important aspects of their ideal job, they came up with the following
common factors (in random order):

Challenging work

A variety of work

An environment that fosters a spirit of creativity and innovation

Recognition and reward for high performance

Flexibility (in work schedules)

Opportunities for advancement

Mentoring
opportunities

Organizational values that align with personal values

An environment that involved a diversity of people

Good pay (this was not mentioned first at either meeting)

A good benefits
plan and retirement benefits plan

Job security

The ability to balance personal and professional lives

Can your organization check off all of these characteristics? Do you market these when looking to recruit new employees into your organization?
Is there more that you can do to offer these in your workplace?

Mid-career employees

Good retention practices

Employees who have been with an organization for more than four or five years may become bored or entrenched in their beliefs.
In order to retain good employees, enable them to become even better, and to ensure the health of your organization and maintain its
ability to change:

Ensure that mid-range employees are involved in setting the direction and strategic plan for your organization

Ensure that their jobs are based on the plans of the organization and that the employee can see the results of their work

Ensure that they get a good performance review at least every six months and that you listen to, and act on, their ideas,
suggestions and concerns